Education

Individual attitudes towards the learner and relationships between teachers and learners based on respect and trust are the basis for successful educational activities. The teacher and the learners are equal partners in joint activities. Education is differentiated and individualised, responding to each child’s interests, abilities, social and psychological maturity.

We organise the educational process on the basis of the latest research on the development of the child and young person by national and foreign scientists, scientifically based and proven educational methodologies and technologies in the educational practice. The educational process is active, attractive, and modern.

Children’s perceptions and thinking are undivided and holistic. In the educational process, many different integrated lessons, interdisciplinary integration projects. The overall integrity of the educational process ensures the development of the learner’s various abilities and the coherence of all areas of education. Since the links with real life are important for each learner, we pay great attention to the contextuality of the educational content when implementing the primary and secondary education programmes. We supplement the educational content with what is interesting and significant for the learner.

1. The distinctive features of such teaching:

    the content and methods of teaching are chosen in response to the abilities and personality maturity of each learner, so that each learner can learn at his own pace: those who are more able to learn beyond the general curriculum and who experience learning difficulties through appropriately adapted curriculum content and methods to help achieve the minimum level of the general curriculum;

2. helping a child, by helping them to know his or her needs, to discover as early as possible the area of their interest in which he or she can achieve maximum results and become a leader in a particular scientific, artistic, technological or social activity; the aim is to continuously and systematically involve the child and his or her parents in the process of monitoring the child’s individual progress;

3. the aim is to organise education for a career as early as possible by implementing additional education programmes, deepened subject modules, informal education, social activities, ensuring the child’s good psychological well-being and strengthening his or her self-confidence.

    

The school provides a modern and constantly updated educational environment that meets the highest international standards. A modern science laboratory, a new library-reading room, green school spaces, and an artistic environment motivate learners to learn, inspire them to create, and fully develop young people. Learners who are motivated and willing to learn are highly valued in the learner community. Such a community of learners strengthens each learner’s motivation to learn and promotes high personal

Teaching is organised on the basis that learners should receive all the learning support they need at school, through the study of advanced modules and the use of tutorials to overcome learning difficulties. Learners at all levels are given every opportunity to achieve their maximum academic performance without the need for tutors from other schools.

Often the learner encounters various teaching (learning) difficulties, therefore, it is very important not only to notice them in time, but also to help the learner overcome the problems. The school has an effective system of such assistance to the learner. Its activities are coordinated by department heads, programme managers, with the support of class leaders, teachers and subject matter professionals. This system of learner support helps the learner to make individual progress in teaching (learning).

We aim that the grade assessment motivates each child to learn, teach them to adequately assess their opportunities, help them to know their needs, and choose the path of success. At the same time, we want the assessment to be objective, with clear criteria, reflecting the actual level of scientific knowledge and skills, helping the learner to understand what and how much he/she knows and what else he/she has to learn. In primary education (Grades 5-8) we aim to observe and evaluate not only the academic result, but also the learner’s motivation and efforts in learning. At the secondary level, I mark the learner’s academic performance with great responsibility, providing timely assistance to each learner to improve his or her learning outcome (especially those subjects that are important for his or her future career).

Lessons are modern, using technical visual aids, IT technologies, organising experiential activities, carrying out laboratory work, applying creative thinking educational methods, etc.

We strive for effective training based on 3 principles: the attractiveness of the quality and methods of teaching and the appropriate pace of work. In the lessons we make optimal use of the class time, choose teaching methods and tasks in the school that are responsive to learners’ abilities and needs.

By implementing the LIONS QUEST programme at all stages of education, we develop learners’ self-awareness, teach them to make responsible and constructive decisions, form positive relationships, effectively resolve conflicts, develop social awareness and manage emotions and behaviours in order to achieve their goals.

Critical thinking is developed by the learner actively exploring himself/herself and the environment, mastering the ways of exploration (observation, testing, exploration), promoting thinking and reasoning about why something happens, why it happens this way, not other than what he/she noticed, discovered, felt, experienced. Critical thinking is developed by encouraging the child to overcome everyday challenges and difficulties, by explaining why they have arisen, by understanding his or her own intentions and those of others, by finding appropriate solutions, by trying things, by exploring, by reasoning, by collaborating, and by beginning to see the consequences of the decisions made.

By fostering creative thinking, we aim to create the conditions for each learner to develop his or her own self-expression and to unleash his or her own complex of personal qualities: ingenuity, originality, productive thinking and creative imagination. Together, we teach how to target the information we have, constantly encouraging learners to act and to solve problems by finding educational innovations. The development of creative thinking is linked to initiative and the development of entrepreneurship, which means the ability to translate ideas into practical action, creativity, innovation, risk-taking, planning and managing projects in order to achieve objectives.

Intellectual creativity in Klaipėda Lyceum is developed by promoting learners’ cognitive activity, deepening and expanding educational content, carrying out scientific research activities, various creative projects and the cooperative educational environment created at the school.

Divergent thinking is one of the most important abilities of creative thinking. When mastering this type of thinking (right brain), people create new combinations instead of choosing what has already been created. Divergent thinking is useful not only in creation, but also in life, when making decisions in various problematic situations. Divergent thinking is developed through a variety of innovative methods, such as association building, Osbourn’s brainstorming methodology, analogy search, hyperbolisation methodology, paradoxical integration and disintegration, inversion heuristics, schematisation, emphasis, problem solving, highlighting the individual elements or characteristics of the object, questioning the accepted straight lines, feature, improvisational, metaphorical, paradigmatic games, etc.

Developing strategic thinking encourages learners to gather and present knowledge and facts, evaluate them by expressing their own opinions, determining the reliability of information, considering different points of view, and then test old assumptions and draw logical, valid and comprehensive conclusions. In the process of education, we develop learners’ research competence, which enables them to carry out investigations and experiments, to formulate problems, to base them on evidence and to draw conclusions. Learners are encouraged to think systematically when they use investigative strategies, questioning, and searching for answers in a coherent and systematic way, both in defence of their own views and in response to others’. Learners reflect on their experiences by interacting with their immediate environment. They monitor, control, evaluate and further improve their performance.

When developing leadership, we follow the principle that every child can be a leader and that continuous learning from experience and reflection is important for developing leadership. Leadership development encourages children to trust others, to be open-minded, empathetic, respectful and understanding, and to have good relationships with others. We teach communication and cooperation, be responsible, solve problems, anticipate the future consequences of the decisions taken. It is important for us that children learn to act in a team, knowing that everyone in the team is important and that everyone’s leadership is necessary in different situations in order for the team to win.

It helps to develop a full, intellectual and spiritually mature personality. Although the school is famous for its learners’ academic achievements, we pay no less attention to the spiritual and artistic education of learners. The school provides spiritual counselling services, systematic attendance at cultural events, meetings with artists, and personal exhibitions of their artwork. Particular emphasis is placed on volunteering projects and the continuation of the tradition of charitable giving.

Creativity-promoting environment is created through the child’s emotional connection with the content of teaching(learning), freedom of expression and its emotional promotion, freedom to experiment – to try, to err, to start again, opportunity to explore, flexible performance evaluation strategy, positive expectations, strengthening the child’s self-confidence, open communication.

We create a culture of the Klaipėda Lyceum community, the value of which lies in the high internal culture of each member of the community.

Clearly regulated internal procedures and uniform rules for all help create a good school climate. At school, we are all responsible for the well-being of those around us. Spreading gratitude and respect for those around you makes everyone feel good.

We create a safe physical and psychological environment. We do not tolerate bullying. The aesthetic environment created in the school develops learners’ aesthetic taste and artistic perception.

We ensure the confidentiality of information about each learner and their family.

Programmes for the education of children of different ages are consistent with each other. Continuity of education is ensured when a child moves from one stage of education to another. This allows educators to get to know the child better as a learner and to respond more accurately to his/her educational needs each year and to create more favourable conditions for the development of his/her personality. Therefore, it is not the child who needs to adapt to the school education system, but the education system is increasingly adapting to the child.

Klaipėda Lyceum students can choose to study in a bilingual educational programme, either from 1^st or 5^th grade. Teaching in these groups is conducted in, both, Lithuanian and English languages. This bilingual education programme is conducted in a manner where the students are challenged to master both languages – understand those speaking the aforementioned languages, while remaining fully understood themselves, read and write in both languages.

Students in bilingual classes also take up a second foreign language (Russian, German, French, Spanish, and others.)

In bilingual classes students have a larger number of English class hours, and other subjects are taught, at the beginning, only in Lithuanian, while English is slowly incorporated into the classwork.

As the teacher interacts with the student they take into account the English level of said students, and their vocabulary while making sure to constantly work on expanding it and their understanding of the language – forming longer phrases, reading texts, where not all words might be understood, but the context yields itself to a full understanding of the text, etc.

A method of direct speech and confirmation of receiving are used – the teacher comments on what the child is doing, praises the students, gives details on completing the task and explains things; methods of expanding on, paraphrasing and providing additional details are also used – the teacher attempts to understand what the child is trying to say, asks the child if what they meant was what they understood them to mean, while speaking correctly, but does not make the students repeat the entire phrase; the teacher in this situation gives clues, reminds the student of words or rules and, overall, helps the student find the right word, tries to guess their intent, ideas and shows the student that they have been understood; the child here is encouraged to support their speech with facial expressions, gestures and other nonverbal means of communicating; children are taught games, songs and poems which are easy to remember and help memorise and take note of important words, pronunciation, and the forming of phrases.

Students who have completed the bilingual programme in their primary years can continue on in their bilingual studies on the Klaipėda Lyceum lower secondary-school education level – participate in a bilingual learning programme in the 5^th grade, and join the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme (IB MYP) in the 6^th-10^th grades, and the IB Diploma Programme (IB DP) in 11-12^th grades.

Klaipėda Lyceum teachers are constantly improving their knowledge on bilingual teaching while participating in courses for educators provided in Lithuania or in other European Countries.

Klaipėda Lyceum makes sure to take note of the agile, gifted and talented children (IGT) and to dedicate enough attention to their education. These children are provided with individual learning plans as early as their primary years of education (some kindergarten-aged students are provided with these plans as well). These plans exceed the base programme plans of learning, are aimed at the students’ individual learning abilities and interests, and takes into consideration their learning styles.

If a teacher notices an IGT student they inform the department head and the head of that subject department (foreign language f.e.) who then cooperate and aid the teacher in assessing these individual needs of the student and to prepare an individual learning plan.

Working with IGT children is individualised and differentiated during class time when children work individually. Children are encouraged and taught to think critically and creatively. Comprehension, analysis and problem solving, as well as trying to answer various questions and solve various problems freeing a child’s imagination, awakening their curiosity, perseverance, consistent work, cooperation, leadership qualities and leadership qualities which is an interconnected part of educating gifted children.

Gifted students have extracurricular individual and group activities based on the subjects where they are studying outside of the basic education plan. The students are incentivised to participate in city, country and international championships. The teachers, during the entirety of the teaching process, incorporate methods of evaluating the students’ individual results and discuss the results and their ability to study in the new programme with the students’ parents.